One thing I’m going to miss about the holidays is the white elephant gift Christmas parties. I actually never really liked going to a party where people brought their trash to give away as gifts. But over the last couple of years I’ve found that some people actually want and trade their stuff for a gift that some people consider trash. That’s what’s fun about going to a white elephant gift party… to see what trashy gift will be turned into someone’s treasure. You know, something similar happens to people, God’s treasure, when we trash them with our words… when we gossip about or slander someone. And God’s got something to say about trashing his treasure. Check it out:
Proverbs 16:28
Troublemakers start fights; gossips break up friendships.
Proverbs 11:12
Mean-spirited slander is heartless; quiet discretion accompanies good sense.
Proverbs 16:27
Mean people spread mean gossip; their words smart and burn.
You see, when we use gossip and slander we’re saying that the person we’re talking about is trash – that we don’t place any value on that person. But the cool thing is, is that God traded what he had for that trash. We were all white elephant gifts at one time, but God traded his Son for each one of us… his treasures. We’ve got better uses for our language than that… like giving thanks and using our words to love on people. So let’s not trash the treasure that God traded for… that Jesus gave his life for… and instead trade our gossip and slander in for the gifts that God has given to each one of us… people and the relationships that come with them.
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